Hardeep Puri and Rekha Gupta meet victims of 1984 anti-Sikh violence

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met with victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots on Saturday at Hardeep Puri's residence in Delhi. During the meeting, both Puri and Gupta interacted with the victims and enquired about their experiences and current well-being. In visuals from the occasion, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was seen consoling a victim.

This meeting comes at a time when the ruling BJP has counter-attacked the INDIA bloc's "Chalo Delhi" rally. The BJP organised marches in various zones of the national capital to commemorate the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The BJP accused the Congress of organising political rallies on the anniversary of the violence.

Prior to this sequence of events, on November 1, Union Minister Hardeep Puri participated in a march held from Hari Nagar Depot to Tilak Nagar Metro Station. This march included Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra, Delhi Government Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Ashish Sud, and several MPs, MLAs, and party workers. Additionally, a large number of people from the Sikh community and residents of Delhi also participated in the march.

Making serious allegations against the Congress, Hardeep Puri stated that by organising political demonstrations on the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, the Congress has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh community. He refused to use the word "riots" and termed the 1984 tragedy as a planned "genocide" and a "crime against humanity". While making this claim, he cited official figures, stating that 2,733 people died in Delhi and 3,325 across the country.

Puri questioned the official narrative that the 1984 Sikh killings were a spontaneous eruption caused by public anger following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Clarifying this matter, he said, "There is a lot of information available about what happened in Delhi 42 years ago. But I feel that 'the mind weaves schemes', great efforts have been made to claim that the violence in Delhi was spontaneous and driven by public anger. This statement is not true at all."

Furthermore, Hardeep Puri recalled that the first victim of targeted violence in late October and early November 1, 1984, was India's 7th President Giani Zail Singh. He stated that when Giani Zail Singh was returning from an official visit to Africa, his car was attacked near AIIMS.

According to an NDTV report, this entire sequence of events has increased political heat in Delhi, where on one hand the opposition alliance is holding rallies, while on the other, the BJP is standing in support of the victims, calling the event a genocide.